Wolds Diary: Scenes of ethereal beauty on a Dales return

Sue Woodcock

After a relatively quiet Christmas period my life has picked up again and I seem quite busy.

After taking my cat Ban to the vet for a check up and some more antibiotics I was pleased to be able to help a friend by giving her a lift to the doctor’s surgery and while she was there I popped into another friend and gave her the food I’d cleared out of my cupboards and freezer for her chickens to eat. I’m very fond of the chickens and sometimes get to look after them.

That evening the rehearsals resumed for Pocklington Singers and I was delighted that we have started on the Mass in D Major by Dvorak. This is a glorious piece which I’m thrilled to be singing.

The next day was wonderful. It started with a windy but invigorating walk with the dogs when they ran until they could hardly move. Then, with my lodger we took the two older dogs and went to Skipton where I called in to the cash and carry and got some items I needed. They are very good people there and I have counted them as friends for some time.

Soon it was lunchtime so we drove up Wharfedale to Kettlewell. My lodger hadn’t been to the Dales before and was very impressed with the scenery.

It was astoundingly beautiful, especially with a sprinkling of snow on the tops which made it look almost ethereal. We called into the pub where I used to work, had a quick lunch and then visited the village shop where I met more friends.

Then I took my young lodger up to where I used to live above Grassington and pointed out the house which has been very well renovated and looks almost posh now.

I took him up to the mines at Yarnbury and then had a very brief walk with the two dogs, mainly because it had begun to snow. The two dogs Brillo and Fair knew exactly where they were. I ran into a friend there as well. Then I drove down to the village which as usual looked lovely and picturesque and having found somewhere to park I went to the dentist while my lodger had a look around.

The dentist managed to quickly fill two teeth for me and then I called in on another friend before we drove home. This time I took a different route. It was getting dark as we had a quick look at Grimwith Reservoir and then drove up to the village of Greenhow. By this time the snow had really decided to come down thick and fast with great care I drove down the impressive hill to Pateley Bridge and up the other side of the valley.

The roads were treacherous and icy as well as being covered in fresh snow.

An impatient man in a silver estate car behind me was obviously angry that I was actually just within the speed limit and came right up to my rear bumper with his headlights on main beam and eventually overtook me and sped off up the road.

There was no other traffic and a little further up the road I noticed with amusement that the car in front of me had obviously had a very interesting skid, slide and deviation for getting back on the road and eventually turning off to the left. Once down from the hills the roads were clear of snow and it was just raining.

I went to speak to our local Pocklington WI the next evening. I knew quite a few of them and I hope it went well.

Meanwhile the washing machine saga was continuing and now thankfully I think the engineer has finally identified and fixed the problem. It was his careful attention to detail that eliminated various minor faults and at last it no longer leaks. Mind you my utility room floor has seldom been so clean!

Once again the Celebration Singers have been rehearsing for a production of ‘Trial by Jury’ and other songs for a concert in Nunburnholme church today (January 24).

Even though we had not sung it for three months we still managed to remember it rather well. It was a good humoured and very enjoyable rehearsal.

Finally the snow seems to have got here. When I first saw my current home it was covered in snow and it reminded me how much I seem to have achieved since that time.